Airship



@@a., 3o, w23. mmm@ W. LINK AIRSHIP Filed Sept. 19. 1921 N lo 8 8 Patented @et 3U, 1923.

tra stars tirare WALTER LINK, or AJO, ARIZONA, Assrerron To AMERICAN AInsrrIr AssooIA'rIon, or AJO, ARIZONA, A-oonroaAfrIorI or AnitaONA.r` y

AIRsHIr.

l Applicationk ledseptembe'r' 19, 1921. Serial No. 501,7745

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, VALTEI: LINK, a citizen of the United States, residing'at Ajo, in the county of Pima and State of Arizona, have invented a` new and usefulv mprovement in Airships,gof which the following is a speciication.

This invention relates to improvements in airships of the lighter than air type, and particularly to dirigibles. y

The main object of the present invention to'decrease the head pressure or head on resistance to movement of the airship, particularly against a headwind and toreduce the drag incidental to or arising from longitudinal pressures without resorting to extreme stream line construction and thus retaining the advantages of an approximately cylindrical gas-containing body in regard to lifting power.

A further Object of the invention is to stabilize the movement of the airship and to overcome or reduce the danger attendant upon landings made in strong winds.

The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of my invention, and referring thereto: l

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the body of an airship provided with my invention;

F ig.r2` is a rear elevation of same;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2; Q

Figs. 4,5 and 6 are partially vertical sections showing modifications ofthe invention;

Fig. `7 is a transverse section on line 7-7 in Fig. 6. f

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, my invention is therein shown as applied in connection with a dirigible or airship body 1, which may comprise the usual framework and envelope filled with a buoyant gas and may be provided with the usual means, not shown, for propulsion and for support of passengers, etc. Said body 1 is, or may be, tapered at each end in the usual manner and the rear or stern portion of the body is enclosed or surrounded by a tubular member 2, which may be cylindrical in form and is somewhat larger in diameter than the portion of the body 1 enclosed thereby, so as to leave a space 3 between said tubular member 2 and the rear portion of said body. The said tubular member 2 extends in part at least around the main body or untapered portion of the air` ship, and is larger-than said main body so that 'the space 3 aforesaid -extends around said main body. Said tubular member 2 may be supported on the body 1 in any suitable manner, for example, by iins'or ribs 4L, which extend radially from the body 1,' and which preferably projectsomewhat beyond the tubular member 2, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3. Fins or ribs 5 may also extend rearwardly from the stern of the body 1 to form'stabilizing fins.v Four of the fins or ribsfare herein shown, but it will be understood that any desired number may be used; or, if desired, the tubular member 2 may be supported in any other suitable manner, the mounting of said tubular member being, however, such as not to seriously interfere with the passage of air through the space 3.

The forward end of said tubular member 2 may fiare slightly, as indicated at 6y in Figs. 1 and 3. The stern portion y2' of the dirigib-le body 1 may be of any suitable shape, either gradually tapering in a curve to give a stream line effect, for example, as indicated in Fig. 3, orit may be conical, as showr in Fig. '11, or hemispherical, as shown in Fig. 5. The tubular member 2 may be forwardly tapered, as shown in Fig. 4, or rearwardly tapered, as shown in Fig. 5. The stabilizing fins 5 may be extended forward, as shown in F ig. 5, to support the tubular member 2 on the body y1. If desired, the fins 5 may, as shown in Fig. 4;, be carried by rearwardly extending bars 15.

rl`he gas containing' body is of approxi# mately cylindrical constructionl throughout the greater portion of itslength, so as to provide for great lifting' power 'in proportion to the weight of said body, and 'the tubular member 2 surrounds the cylindrical major diameter portion of the gas-containing body only at the rear end portion of said major diameter portion. In order to secure the advantages of this invention indiminishing head on resistance without at the same time introducing excessive surface resistance, it is necessary that the tubular member should be relatively short as compared with the cylindrical gas-containing body, and in any case it should be less than one-half the length of the gas-containing body. The extent to which the tubular member overlaps or surrounds the major diameter portion of the gas-containing body must be determined in any particular case by actual test, but in order to secure effective action according to thisl invention the portion so surrounded any case the amount of overlap of the tubu A'lar member and the major diameter portion of the gas-containing body should be at least Y one-tenth of such major diameter portion. n

ln the operation of vthe airship by the usual propelling means,- the body 1 travels found insuch operation that the effectv of the tubular member 2Vis to stabilize/the movement, tending to prevent sudden deviationsor changes of course, and also tending to decrease the head onresistance or head pressure and to reduce ,the drag incidental toor arising 'from 'longitudinal pressures.

In some cases, it may be desirable to provide for adjustment'of the tubular member 2 longitudinally-on the body 1. F or this purpose said tubular member may, as shown in Figs. 6 and' 7 be mounted to slide on longitudinal ways or guides 8 on the body 1, said memberl 2 being provided, for example, with slides9, which run'in said ways, and which may be connected at-their rear ends to a fra-mel() to which is secured a rope or cable 11 whereby `the tubular member-2 may be drawn forward. Another oable'lZ is mounted on a pulley 13 and connected to the tubular memberrQ, so as to draw the same rearwardly, the two cables 11 and 12 leading .to Aany suitable part of the ship for opera-y tion or control of the same. 'By shifting the tubular-member 2 longitudinally in this mannera variation inthe stabilizing and head pressure decreasing aotionicmay be effected. It will be understood that Ythe air space or distance between the hull or body of' the airship and the enclos ing tube will be determined in any particular- .case by suitabletests, so as to eiiect the desiredresult .with di'erent shapes of the stern ofthe body.

What l claimis f 1. An aerial vehicle comprising a gas con-z portion and thefsaidtub-ular member. '1 in the direction of the arrow andl I have taining bodylha'ving a Substantially C'yiia drical major diameter portion and a tubular member of less length and of larger diameter than said major diameter portion'` and sur n roundingY both VaV substantial part UAorsaid major diameter Aportion and al substantial part of the tapering rear end portion of the said gas containing body,vsaid tubular meinber being open at both ends to permit free passage of air between the cylindrical body a tubular member surrounding` said body and spaced therefrom to form a passagefor air between the said body and said tubular member, andlins extending rearwardly from said tubularmember.V Y' 1 Y c L1; An aerial vehicle of the lighter than air type comprising c a gas-containing body, Va

tubular member surrounding said body and spaced therefrom to form a passage Afor air between said body andfsaid tubular member Y and lins extending outwardly from said tuf bular member. f

5r An aerial vehicle of the lighter than air type comprisinga.gasCOntaningbody,sa

tubular membersurroundingsaid body and Y Vspaced therefromA to form a passage rfor air between said body and said tubular member,

and .fins extending ,rearwardly and [outwardly lrom the tubular member. Y, Y L lighter than 6.11m adiiigible'veliicle of the air type, the combination with the/'gas-.con- Y taining body thereof cfa-tubular 'member surroundiiiga; pfortion yofsaid Lbody'aiid spaced therefrom to form a passage VJr'or airy between said body and tubular member, and means 'for controlling Atheglongitudinal position of said tubularmember on said body. In testimony whereof I have hereunto 'subscrib-ed my name this 9th day of September,

192i. c WALTER LINK.;l 

